Ebuzz News
Machel Montano’s ‘Like Ah Boss’ Documentary, 11 Years In the Making.
Machel Montano’s dedication and undeniable work ethic are the core character traits many will have the chance to see, in the documentary, ‘Like Ah Boss’. The man, who, for over four decades, has worn the crown of King of Soca, says beyond 2026, he plans on shifting his focus to other aspects of music and life, which he knows is necessary at this time. The documentation of his 45- year career in Soca music, took his team 11 years to complete and still, Machel says, there are things that have been left out – things he will eventually include in a subsequent documentary.
In a brief Q&A following the screening on February 10th at Movie Town, Port-of-Spain, Machel said it has not been easy. “This was quite a challenge for us. It took us 11 years to do this and it’s just part of the story. This isn’t even the whole story. This is just what we could’ve done.” The 11- time Road March King added, “It was just like, wanting to share everything with everybody. We have a love, everybody you see on that screen is a love,” said Montano, as he highlighted the dedication of some of his closest team members – one of whom is Soul, who has been at his side since 1986. “That film was really putting out everything that we see, hear and feel – the only thing you couldn’t do was smell or taste, but you could feel it. For me, I was really proud of what they put together,” he said.
Describing seeing the final version of the documentary as a magical experience, Machel told the audience that throughout the process, he made every effort to facilitate whatever was needed by the crew, admitting that it was all he could do amid his extraordinarily busy life.
THE YEAR 2015 WAS PIVOTAL
‘Like Ah Boss‘ was shot primarily in the year 2015. It was a significant turning point for him – a year he had committed to refocusing his attention and removing himself from the International Soca Monarch competition. Machel had vowed to go out ‘Like Ah Boss,’ and that he did, winning the title and going on to perform at several fetes in the aftermath of his crowning moment.
PHOTO: ANIL MATHI
Manager, Che Kothari, in analyzing his experience with Machel over the years, said, “It’s quite ridiculous watching him. We live it everyday. We’re going through it again in this season – back to back to back to back – right after this, we go straight to another show. To document that and to show people the power that you have within – when you have a message and you want to share that with the world and you relentlessly work towards that, that’s something that I’m inspired to shoot,” he said.
Kothari was a professional photographer when he met Machel in 2014 and according to the entertainer, Che’s arrival into his life was the equivalent of answered prayer. He said during one of his moments of vulnerability, in an apartment in the US, having experienced setback, he wrote in his journal the type of person he needed to be his manager and that person proved to be Che Kothari. “We are living in, and creating history and it’s a real honor to be beside this man and to be able to support that,” said Che.
EXPERIENCING DOUBT, FACING CHALLENGES.
“I’m going through some tough times right now, trying to reach the top of the mountain,” said Machel quite frankly, when asked whether he has experienced doubt over the years. “It’s all through the documentary,” he said, noting that as it pertains to the documentary, there was doubt as to whether the film was good enough. “We still don’t think it’s at the quality for us to get it to Netflix because it’s so much old footage that we can’t really get it to look better, to be cleaner. I am the procrastinating perfectionist. This is the first one. There will be another. There’s the Machel Montano book and we’re already working on the next version,” he said, noting that 2025 into 2026 has been a period of tremendous challenge for him. “There is a part of this story that we didn’t tell that is actually very actively happening between 2025 into 2026 and that is probably one of the biggest challenges of my life and that will be told as soon as we finish carnival and hopefully by next year we’ll be able to tell that part of the story,” said Montano.
Machel says there is always doubt. “We are always positively dissatisfied,” he admitted, saying despite the team’s feelings, he hopes everyone will enjoy what has been created for his fans and Soca music lovers around the world.
A NEW DAY IS COMING.
PHOTO : DEVIN ALLEN
A career that some have compared to that of International superstar, Michael Jackson, complete with highs, lows, celebrations and spectacles, Machel Montano says he has learnt and grown a lot over the years. “It’s fun to walk into your closet and put on something different, pretend to be somebody, role play but over the years, through all of that, I have realized that I really should be doing the opposite. Instead of putting on things, I should be taking things off,” he said, going on to explain that he has recently learnt that going inward, is the fastest way out.
Now, the entertainer says he has reached a point where he gets it, and he has nothing more to prove. “I have seen it all, done it all and I have it all, and when you have seen it all, done it all and have it all, you look up and you want to do what is needed.”
As to what is needed at this time, the artiste who recently acquired his Master’s Degree in Carnival Studies, said what is needed is for the children of his country, Trinidad and Tobago to be higher educated, “and not be fully dunce.” He went on to say that the country must also understand that oil and gas is not the richest resource. “It’s the people. It’s the talent. I am about to take that journey,” he said, referring to his plans to ensure that these needs are realized.
‘Like Ah Boss’ hits movie theaters in Trinidad and Tobago and Guyana on February 12th.
Ebuzz News
Anika Berry Successfully Transitions To An Artiste Creating Opportunity. Brooklyn Concert Was So Sweet.
The sweetest berry, Anika Berry reached a major milestone in her career with the successful staging of SO SWEET: The Concert, last weekend, in Brooklyn, New York. It was the entertainer’s first self-produced headline concert in the US.
Artistes backed by a live band, the event brought together generations of Caribbean music and featured performances and appearances by GBM Nutron, Lyrikal, the legendary Tigress, Denise ‘Saucy Wow’ Belfon, Imani Ray, and many others, creating a night that celebrated not only Berry’s journey, but the music and artistes who helped shape the culture she so proudly represents.
Anika Berry’s even was years in the making. Her journey in the Soca space has been built one performance at a time, the young artiste developing her sound, building her audience, releasing music, traveling to perform, and continuing to push forward in an industry where longevity must be earned. Over the years, she has grown from an emerging voice in Soca, into an international performer, while remaining committed to creating opportunities and moments that honor the culture. For that reason, the Brooklyn concert was especially significant.
Stepping into the role of headliner and producer, Anika brought her own vision to life with a full live band, guest artistes, production, and marketing dedicatedly to an audience that answered the call and came together to support the next chapter of her career.
One of the most meaningful moments of the evening came when Berry shared the stage with two women whose contributions helped pave the way for generations of female Soca artistes- that moment was standing on stage with both Tigress and Denise Belfon. “The appearance by Tigress became an emotional connection between Soca’s past and present,” said the artiste. “Hearing and reliving “Wo Donkey”, the unforgettable United Sisters classic, on a Brooklyn stage was more than a nostalgic moment,” she added. It was an opportunity to give flowers to a generation of women who helped establish a space for female voices in Calypso and Soca, long before many of today’s artistes entered the industry.
For Berry, being on stage beside Tigress was a full circle experience. The music of the United Sisters – Tigress, Singing Sandra, Lady B and Marvellous Marva, represented strength, personality and fearless female expression. Their impact continues to live through the women who came after them. The presence of Denise Belfon, another woman whose unmistakable style, stage presence and catalogue have influenced generations of Soca performers, made the tribute even more meaningful. Rather than simply celebrating her own milestone, Berry used her first headline concert to recognize the women who helped make moments like hers possible. The night also represented the range of Soca itself, the event connecting different generations, sounds and audiences under one roof while keeping the focus on live Caribbean music.
For Berry and her team, successfully producing a headline concert in Brooklyn represents more than another performance credit. It marks a transition from being an artiste, working for opportunities, to becoming an artiste capable of creating the opportunity, building the platform and bringing other artistes onto it.
SO SWEET was a celebration of progress, but it was equally a celebration of gratitude.
Ebuzz News
A Theatrical Carnival Production Is Set for August 30th, Paying Tribute to the Mighty Sparrow. Blow Mano Blow is Coming.
Another band launch is coming up in T&T. Blow Mano Blow Productions is preparing to introduce its latest presentation with a production that promises to be about much more than costumes and the traditional band launch.
The band will officially unveil its 2027 Carnival presentation, “To Birdie With Love,” on Sunday, August 30th, at the Queen’s Hall Garden Theatre in St. Ann’s. The event is carded to be a tribute to the music, legacy and cultural influence of the legendary Mighty Sparrow.
At the heart of the presentation are five sections inspired by some of Sparrow’s most enduring classics: “Jean and Dinah,” “Congo Man,” “Marajhin,” “Happy School Days” and “Margarita,” and according to the organizers, Blow Mano Blow will being it all to life in a distinguishable way.
Rather than treating the launch as simply a reveal of costumes and sections, the production is being billed as a theatrical Carnival experience, with each section brought to life through a combination of storytelling, drama, music and mas. The theatrical performances have been written and directed by acclaimed T&T playwright Penelope Spencer, adding a deliberate dramatic element to the presentation.
That approach speaks to what Blow Mano Blow brings to Carnival each year: an experience designed to extend beyond the road and the costume itself, placing culture, performance and storytelling at the centre of the mas experience. For Carnival lovers, “To Birdie With Love” represents an opportunity to encounter Sparrow’s music through a different lens. His iconic compositions become the foundation for five distinct sections, with the production using theatre and live performance to create a connection between the music and the mas.
The launch will also deliver the energy expected of a Carnival event, with performances from Brass 2 The World, Rave the Band, popular soca artistes and DJs from Sweet 100.1FM.
Guests will get their first look at the official Carnival 2027 costumes, while early registration for Carnival Monday will also be available. Door prizes, giveaways, food, drinks and the atmosphere of Carnival will round out the evening. For both experienced masqueraders and those preparing to play mas for the first time, the event offers an early introduction to what Blow Mano Blow has planned for Carnival Monday, 2027. This year, Blow Mano Blow’s presentation will be more than a costume collection, but rather the showcasing of a complete Carnival experience.
With Sparrow’s music serving as its creative foundation, theatre providing the storytelling framework, live music supplying the energy and mas completing the visual experience, “To Birdie With Love” seeks to place Trinidad and Tobago’s cultural legacy firmly within the excitement of contemporary Carnival.
The launch takes place on August 30th, the day before T&T’s Independence, from 6:00 pm to midnight at the Queen’s Hall Garden Theatre, with admission priced at TT$200.
For Blow Mano Blow Productions, the message is clear: Carnival 2027 begins with a celebration of one of Trinidad and Tobago’s greatest cultural icons—and an invitation to experience mas in a way that brings music, theatre, culture and Carnival together on one stage.
One night. Five sections. Live music. Theatre. Soca. Mas. Culture.
-
Ebuzz News6 days agoA Theatrical Carnival Production Is Set for August 30th, Paying Tribute to the Mighty Sparrow. Blow Mano Blow is Coming.
-
Music News1 week agoSport Anchor and Artiste, James Saunders Turns Focus to Men’s Mental Health in New Song.
-
Ebuzz News7 hours agoAnika Berry Successfully Transitions To An Artiste Creating Opportunity. Brooklyn Concert Was So Sweet.
-
Caribbean Buzz1 week agoDancehall Trailblazer, Patra Will Gets Her Flowers at This Year’s Caribbean Music Awards.